Wes Malinchock

Today really began a few hours before we officially got up and on the road. Specifically, at 3:30am in barn full of antiques during a thunder storm. I was awakened by howling wind against the side of the barn that our host had provided for us that night. Something outside was making a loud banging noise against the side of it and I was surrounded by old wedding dresses and antique furniture casting wild shadows. Needless to say it was a little freaky. Fortunately, I was able to get back to sleep and woke up to some sun beams filtering through the vents near the roof of the barn. This was a great sign that we had a nice and clear morning of riding ahead of us despite last nights weather!

We biked a couple miles down the road for breakfast at a bar. The forecast for today showed storms scattered throughout the day so we made plans to stop short at another biker hostel only 40 miles down the road in case we needed to bail out of the rain. At breakfast a light rain came through and we decided to stick around and play some cards with the bar owner while we waited it out. On trips we have taken in the past, the card game "Spades" has been a favorite of ours. Unfortunately, it requires four players so the three of us tend to drag any interested stranger into a game at any chance we get. Eventually the rain slowed enough that we were able to comfortably hit the road and ride some gorgeous country roads at a nice pace to the biker bunkhouse just outside Dalbo, Minnesota.

We were greeted by the bunkhouse's owner, Donn, in the drive way and as soon as we stepped inside I knew this is where we were staying the night. Donn has created a great space for tired cross country cyclists with private rooms, a fully stocked kitchen, and a great living area to hang out in. Even though the weather outside was relatively clear, we all knew that we would regret it down the road if we didn't stop here for the day. We spent the rest of the day hanging out in the hostel and planning our next few days. Donn even showed us a way we could cut a couple miles off of our ride tomorrow, which made us feel a little bit better about stopping short today!